I would like to tone up my arms and legs, but i don't want to get a bulky look...what is a good weight lifting program to do??? How often should I be doing the program? Thanks for any help!

"Getting a bulky look" is the LAST thing that is going to happen, even if you DO lift weights! The women here that lift - myself included - are far from "bulky". A good article to read re this myth (because a MYTH it is!) is Breaking the Myth: "If I lift heavy I'll end up looking like a man".

As far as "toning", as Resolve said, there is NO such thing.
Toning is:
a. Losing bodyfat,
b. Gaining muscle mass, or
c. Losing bodyfat and gaining muscle simultaneously (i.e. recomping).
Sounds like you want to achieve option a.

As far as a training programme, anything is going to work if your NUTRITION is right, and you're following a structured plan. I suggest that you look around. A good place to start is the article, The 3 Keys to Fat Loss - there is a sample training programme in there for the beginner and the experienced trainee.

"Think like a Champion. Train like a Warrior. Live with a Purpose." - Rosie Chee

04-16-2010, 09:02 PM

BMCLouzee

Originally Posted by kelstanfield

I would like to tone up my arms and legs, but i don't want to get a bulky look...what is a good weight lifting program to do??? How often should I be doing the program? Thanks for any help!

Hey girl,

Thanks for taking interest in shaping up! Always nice to see people, especially ladies, taking the initiative to change their bodies.

So lets get started!

There are only two terms you need to know in this site:

1) Cutting
2) Bulking

So as you can see we do not use the term "toning up" in the forum. It's a made up word for all we care. Cutting means to lose fat. Bulking means to gain muscle. And there is no way you can spot train just certain areas of your body (ie. lose the fat in your arms, but keep everything else, etc.). That's something you need to understand right now. So the regimen that we'll help you create will be a combination of lower body, upper body, abs, and everything else!

On to diet...

Diet is everything. The reason why fitness and figure models look how they do is because they pay attention to what they eat! I personally feel the eating part is the hardest. I go to the gym 6 days a week, 2-3 hours at a time. But I diet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Diet is an everyday-for-the-rest-of-your-life thing. It CANNOT be inconsistent otherwise you will see no results regardless of how many miles you do on the track.

We can't recommend a weightlifting routine unless you share with us some information about yourself. What are your goals? What's your current diet? Do you have access to the gym? What's your schedule? Do you have any pre-existing conditions that prevent you from performing specific exercises (ie. knee problems, back problems, etc.)? What's your level of motivation? Smoke? Drink? Let us know ASAP and we'll be more than happy to help!

well here is a little about myself, so you guys know where i am and where i want to be....I recently had my two kids 11 months apart now i am trying to rid my body of the wonderful post pregnancy weight that is haunting me everyday.....I weigh 178 right now I have lost 13 pounds so far from my starting weight, but have 38 to go to reach the goal weight i have set for myself of 140 (i know if i can get to 140 though, i'm gonna wanna try and reach 130 which is my dream goal)...i walk/jog at least 30 mins. a day if not more and have started doing cardio at least 5 times a week. i haven's really set a outlined diet for myself yet, i have started cutting out bad sugars, and cut my portions in half (a strict diet is hard with 2 little kids at this point) I have also added liquid meals to my diet at least once a day. I know nutrition is really going to be a key factor in losing the weight, but i need to know some good workout tips to keep things different so my body doesn't have a chance to just plateau off. Any help is greatly appreciated! thanks guys!

well here is a little about myself, so you guys know where i am and where i want to be....I recently had my two kids 11 months apart now i am trying to rid my body of the wonderful post pregnancy weight that is haunting me everyday.....I weigh 178 right now I have lost 13 pounds so far from my starting weight, but have 38 to go to reach the goal weight i have set for myself of 140 (i know if i can get to 140 though, i'm gonna wanna try and reach 130 which is my dream goal)...i walk/jog at least 30 mins. a day if not more and have started doing cardio at least 5 times a week. i haven's really set a outlined diet for myself yet, i have started cutting out bad sugars, and cut my portions in half (a strict diet is hard with 2 little kids at this point) I have also added liquid meals to my diet at least once a day. I know nutrition is really going to be a key factor in losing the weight, but i need to know some good workout tips to keep things different so my body doesn't have a chance to just plateau off. Any help is greatly appreciated! thanks guys!

As you said, NUTRITION is the most IMPORTANT key to achieving your goals! 130 lb is within reach - just be patient and consistent, and know that if you want it badly enough, you will get there.

Re exercise, RESISTANCE TRAINING is far MORE effective at fat loss than cardio - and honestly, cardio isn't even necessary for successful and effective fat loss. If you can take the time out to do cardio, put aside some of that time, and lift some weights instead. If you do cardio, try and do high-intensity stuff, and start out with three days a week - it gets more done in less time.

Re tips, read The 3 Keys to Fat Loss article I linked you to in post #3 - that has all the "tips" you need to know to achieve your goals.

"Think like a Champion. Train like a Warrior. Live with a Purpose." - Rosie Chee

04-19-2010, 02:50 PM

BMCLouzee

Originally Posted by kelstanfield

well here is a little about myself, so you guys know where i am and where i want to be....I recently had my two kids 11 months apart now i am trying to rid my body of the wonderful post pregnancy weight that is haunting me everyday.....I weigh 178 right now I have lost 13 pounds so far from my starting weight, but have 38 to go to reach the goal weight i have set for myself of 140 (i know if i can get to 140 though, i'm gonna wanna try and reach 130 which is my dream goal)...i walk/jog at least 30 mins. a day if not more and have started doing cardio at least 5 times a week. i haven's really set a outlined diet for myself yet, i have started cutting out bad sugars, and cut my portions in half (a strict diet is hard with 2 little kids at this point) I have also added liquid meals to my diet at least once a day. I know nutrition is really going to be a key factor in losing the weight, but i need to know some good workout tips to keep things different so my body doesn't have a chance to just plateau off. Any help is greatly appreciated! thanks guys!

So it looks to me that you're not going to be at a gym. Understandable, you do have kids! Do you have any free weights or bands laying around? There's a really good body weight exercise program that I've used in the past before I got a gym membership. It's good that you're doing cardio, but weight/resistance training will help you out better. Don't think that weight training will get you buff. It takes a lot more than that. What you're eating will be a determining factor in the success of your weight loss. What's your protein intake looking like? Carbs? Fat? How much calories are you consuming? I know it's laborious considering your schedule, but recording the specifics of your diet will help you determine if you're on the right track.

This is a workout routine I'm doing. Have in mind I'm also on keto. It gives ample time of rest between body areas.

I switch between two different workout routines. So one week I might do my chest exercises with barbells and the other with dumbbells, etc. This challenges my body and prevents me from getting used to one thing.

I can send you my workout routine if you'd like. I go to the gym, but there are home friendly substitutions for what I do. Let us know more info. I know you really just wanted a list of exercises for arms and legs and we can do that, but a total body routine is most effective.

As you said, NUTRITION is the most IMPORTANT key to achieving your goals! 130 lb is within reach - just be patient and consistent, and know that if you want it badly enough, you will get there.

Re exercise, RESISTANCE TRAINING is far MORE effective at fat loss than cardio - and honestly, cardio isn't even necessary for successful and effective fat loss. If you can take the time out to do cardio, put aside some of that time, and lift some weights instead. If you do cardio, try and do high-intensity stuff, and start out with three days a week - it gets more done in less time.

Re tips, read The 3 Keys to Fat Loss article I linked you to in post #3 - that has all the "tips" you need to know to achieve your goals.

~Team APPNUT

^ This

I can help you design a resistance training regimen, just let me know when you have the times to do them. 35-45 minutes per session is as much as you'd need to be doing anyway and everything you need can be found at the wellness center on campus.

I agree about the high intensity cardio too. HIIT (high intensity interval training) is much better for fat loss than jogging at a set pace for longer durations. If I were wanting to lose fat, I'd much rather do a 20 minute session of HIIT vs. doing a 40 minute session of jogging. Basically with HIIT, you warmup first then do set intervals of varying intensity (i.e., 30 seconds of jogging followed by 30 seconds of running, 30 seconds of jogging, ect..). It doesn't have to be 30 seconds either, it can be any interval. You could even do 1 minute of jogging and 30 seconds of running; you can vary the intensity depending on how long or short your intervals are. And when I say run, I mean run at around 80% or so, so you're not really sprinting all out but you're not far from it. The key is intensity: a matter of effort and time. How do you increase intensity? You can either increase the effort, decrease the time or both.

Oh, I just thought of it so I figured I'd post it. I know I've said it before but make sure you're drinking a lot of fluids (mainly water; water in solution doesn't count, such as juice, ect..). If you want to burn fat, you need to be well hydrated. It's better to be overhydrated than dehydrated. I'm not saying you have to drink so much so often that you're having to go to the bathroom every 20 minutes. Just use your better judgment.